Tuesday, October 31, 2006

An important call

Saying for the day: Some phone calls are more important than others.

After we had lived in the parsonage for a short time we got a new mattress .
It was delivered and left in the living room.
I was home alone and decided to take it up to the bedroom myself ( I was young ).
I hoisted it onto my back and started up the stairs .
In the middle of the stairs there was a landing and I reached it only to discover it was very hard to turn with a mattress on your back.
It caught on the wall.
I was struggling to make the turn when the phone rang.
Since I was alone (no answering machine) it was up to me to answer it.
I had to jiggle out from under without having the mattress push me down the stairs.
I lodged the mattress onto the landing and raced downstairs.
Out of breath I answered the phone.
It was a nice lady who wanted to tell me she wouldn’t be in church Sunday and why.
I had almost killed myself getting to the phone because she thought I was checking on her attendance.
At that point I could have hit her with the stupid mattress but I told her thank you for calling.
Then I went back to fighting with the mattress which was now stuck on the landing.
It took a half an hour to move it the rest of the way.
From this I learned two things.

One man shouldn’t do a two person job even if he can.

All telephone calls are not important.

@@@@
News from Pigeon Falls– The little town in my garage where the trains still run and tall stories are told.-The Liars Club met last night for their monthly meeting and Donna Bergall told this story.
“ Once upon a time there was a single star that had used up all the material in its stellar disk far too fast and so it had no planets. It was a very lonely star. There were no planets for it to give light to or to warm with its rays. There were no planets where beings would develop. There would be no lazy humans to see the stunning sunrise while hacking away at a tree. No slobbery children chasing creatures with wings. Of course there would be no conflicts or such horror as humans are capable of. There would be no holidays like Halloween . There were no beings in any condition good or bad. There was no football, basketball, or baseball tournament for the sun to shine on while somebody’s team would lose. There was no long expanse of sand where people kicked beach sand into somebody’s face. And the sand was hot because of the sun. There was no bossy cook making hamburger patties for a group of kids that would snuggle together when the sun went down. There would be no electric switch to turn on lights when the little sun was shining on the other side.
There would be no cushy theater seats where people saw a movie with beautiful pictures of sunrise and sunset. No our poor little sun would never know any of that. So it spent its days crying and thinking about adopting a planet in some far off system. Some little planet where some old man with a telescope would discover it and it would have a name and be talked about. Until then it would try to catch meteors and asteroids and put together a build a planet kit so that before it flamed out it could have a little planet of its own.Now if only somebody would tell it how to make people.
********
Link for today- Mini Nerd-blog of Stephen- Remember to leave the words Dr. John in your comment to get those pumpkin shaped JCPOINTS. Check HERE for your total.
I have decided to postpone the mini-marthon one week so that Chana can recover from this spell. I know she loves the marathon and I don't want poor cuppojoe having to write all those comments for her. Given her determination and super powers she should be well again by next Wednesday. B etty and I are scheduled to see the doctor this morning and get our flue shots. I hate shots. One last note the Bergall story this morning owes its nature to Cindra Jo. I can't enter it in her contest because it can't be anonymous . Once you have seen it here you would know it is mine and I don't have time to write two stories . Besides I looked at the two stories already in the comments on her blog and I would get my but kicked. One show off even used every word twice.
Well we went and got our flue shots. Then we brought our recyclables in to the pick up point. Then we went back to the garage and cleaned and we still aren't done. My computer is having trouble with blogger and I think it is my computer because Betty isn't having the same problem. I had trouble getting to blogs today.My sister called and thanked me for the research which forms the base for tomorrow's blog. I need a breathing treatment. Betty said no new computer and I should stop complaining in the post. I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

21 Comments:

Blogger Catch said...

Oh I bet you could have screamed after answering the phone to find out it wasnt that important!!! Mattresses are the worst to carry...the box spring is ok, but the mattress is such a pain. But I like you, would have tried to do it myself...which is probably why my back is in such great shape today! lol. Booo! Enjoy the little trick or treaters tonight!

4:25 AM  
Blogger The Rev. Dr. Kate said...

The downside of modern technolgy. Yes, we can be connected to anyone, anywhere, anytime - but at some point we have to exercise some sense and realize that we have to prioritize what's important. Just because the phone rings, we don't have to answer it!
How is you All Saints' sermon coming?

4:36 AM  
Blogger Gary said...

Maybe you should have told her to send someone over to help you. :)

5:04 AM  
Blogger Janets Planet said...

Have belonged to a few churches where you had to be there every time the doors opened or surely there was something "wrong" with you. Knowing your experience, I probably should have called a few of those pastors back then. :-)

5:22 AM  
Blogger Oklahoma Girl said...

My Mom's church is like that. You miss a service they call to be sure you aren't sick or dead. DUH!! if you were dead would you answer the phone???!!!! Hum...something to ponder on this Halloween Day. Enjoy all the little ghosts & goblins...or will it be superheros this year. Lions, & tigers, & bears oh my!! My granddaughter is going to be Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ.
I got my flu shot yesterday.
Have a wonderfully blessed day.

Blessed be...

6:12 AM  
Blogger jafabrit said...

Technology is wonderful, caller id, answering machines. If it is important I will call back, but otherwise I learned like you many moons ago that one doesn't have to answer the phone at the expense of our health or moment.

6:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That is so funny! I remember when there were no answering machines! and you are so right... sometimes I don't answer my phone. If it is important, either they will leave a message...or they will call back.

I never break my neck trying to get to the phone! love you!

p.s. call interview pushed back to nov 9th....

7:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm still chuckling over the image of you wrestling with the mattress. I learned the same lesson when I was young and decided to haul a big maple desk up a flight of stairs by myself.

7:39 AM  
Blogger Kat Campbell said...

What a cute but sad story. Poor little sun. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and Betty, flu shots always give ME the flu. Happy Halloween!

11:21 AM  
Blogger Margaret said...

I've learned a long time ago when it comes to purchasing new furniture, mattresses or appliances to go ahead and pay the extra to have someone deliver it all the way in and take away the old.

The medical bills, broken banisters and time off of work to rest up a strained back - can run into the thousands.

So Doc, what 'cha going to be for Halloween? Is your suit of armor all shined up and ready to go?

11:33 AM  
Blogger butterflies said...

OH! My mother fell and broke her leg answering the ph..Ive always told her"if its important theyll ring back" but she still runs to the ph! Its so frustruating!
I can imagine you stagerring up the stairs..LOL
Its very nice of you to wait for Chana..we all miss her

12:34 PM  
Blogger Bella said...

Happy Halloween! And thank you so much for the towel! I love it!!!!

12:55 PM  
Blogger Gingers Mom said...

Hee hee. THat is a great lesson. My husband SCRAMBLES for the phone freaking out at all costs to get it before the voice mail picks up. Why the heck do we have voicemail?
Glad you didn't hurt yourself. Sometimes I do things on my own just because I wanna prove that I can. Foolish.

1:24 PM  
Blogger Charlene Amsden said...

Dr. John, when I was a teen we moved during the day and my sister, (my guardian) her husband and kids all had to go to a work related family event that evening. As they left my sister was worrying about sleeping that night. My brother-in-law said we'd sleep on mattresses in the living room and dining room. We'd all been living in a motel and sleeping in the same room for two weeks. I'd had enough of that. I lugged bits and pieces of three bed sets upstairs by myself and put them together. I put together two beds downatairs, then I found the boxes of bedding and made all those beds. For the next week I was so sore I could barely lift a fork -- and then only if it was empty.

5:56 PM  
Blogger Louisiana said...

i have just a few mins it seems between taking the narcotics to keep the pain under control and being nocked out to another long sleep. i wanted to take the meds just so i could manage to sit and write to you. how kind of you to think of me and Joe and postpone the marathon. God Bless you sir. Thank you a million times over for the cups. i got my treat too today in the mail from you both and love it. i may be pretty out of it for i don't understand the story of the town today. will reread soon i hope then i understand. i thank you and all for your prayers. all i do is sleep and complain of the excrusiating pain. i can barely sit a bit and then back to lkayind down it is. Joe stayed from work yesterday to look after me and nice ladies are dreiving Keka to school and Blondie is wlaking. i will be better soon, i hate all this pain and being in bed again.
lvoe to you much. take care.

7:59 PM  
Blogger Louisiana said...

joe re reAD THE STORY AND it's great and i did the link. i love you both.

8:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, thanks for the mention, and thank you, thank you, thank you for using the words in the very lovely Pigeon Falls story! You are quite inventive! I love that. Sorry about your blogger woes. That can be frustrating to no end.

It's not true that you would get your butt kicked in the contest...it's only that you are out of time...bummer.

It is so kind of you to wait for Chana's return for the marathon...

11:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi!The kingsize ones are the worst,but we some how do get it upstairs,He!He!He!
Wish you well Dr John

12:31 AM  
Blogger Tina Dray said...

Hope all went well at the doc's for you and betty!
i think blogger as been acting up for all of us lately but as you have said "it free" so guess we'll all just have grin and bare it!

1:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In those pre-answer service days when the phone rang and rang... and rang, it was so hard not to answer it! lol So glad your mattress stayed and waited on the landing instead of falling back down the stairs. Two good points Dr. John.
Hope the flue jabs don't make you and Betty ill.

2:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

PS Forgot to say how much I enjoyed the star story. :-)

2:16 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home